Curbing Gang Violence

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In eight years as pastor of Emmanuel Temple Church in Portland, Bishop C.T. Wells estimates he has eulogized “dozens” of young victims of gang violence.

But he says the most recent funeral he led, for 18-year-old Borisshell Washington, was “particularly bad.”

Borisshell was a senior at Jefferson High School who was killed by gang gunfire in late May.

Wells says a pervasive gang culture “expressed in music, the drug trade and in the manipulation of women” has gotten a foothold in Oregon’s most populous city. Last year, according to police, gang violence spiked by nearly 70 percent in Portland.

TOL looked at the issue just over a year ago. But the problem has shown little sign of abating since then. Why? As violent crime declines overall, what causes spikes in gang activity? How much violence is preventable?

Are you in a gang? Do you do outreach to gangs in Oregon and the Northwest? What’s the best way to combat gang violence? Have gangs affected your life in some way?